Online Reporter
Moreblessing Ncube
TWO Bulawayo men learnt the hard way that crime doesn’t pay after they were busted red-handed trying to strip a city boutique of clothes, shoes and jewellery under the cover of darkness.
Tawanda Chigumbura (34) and Mbongeni Sibanda (27), appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Maxwell Ncube facing theft charges after their ill-fated night raid at Prince Enterprises, a trendy clothing store at Shop Number 11, Kildas Flats, along 5th Avenue.
According to the State, represented by Prosecutor Mehluli Ndlovu, on 13 August the pair allegedly used an unknown object to smash a louvered glass window above the shop’s door before sneaking inside.
The fashion-forward crooks helped themselves to designer threads, including a striped Samson T-shirt, navy blue Fabian jacket, Soviet jeans, a red Lacoste jacket, an Adidas cap, and even two promotional cellphones, clearly shopping like it was payday!
But what they didn’t know was that Big Brother was watching. CCTV cameras rolled as the two strutted around the shop like runway models, casually picking items and parading through the aisles as if they owned the place. Their midnight “shopping spree” turned into a full-on comedy show, every move captured in crystal-clear detail.
The fun ended when alert security guards pounced mid-loot, recovering all the stolen goods and calling time on the late-night fashion parade.
To make matters worse for the accused, their criminal “fashion show” on CCTV, left little to argue in court.
The shop’s representative, Sehliselo Masuka from Emganwini, was called to the scene shortly after midnight and later reported the matter to the police.
The two have been remanded in custody until 22 October, where they’ll face the music and maybe even get to watch their CCTV “debut” in court!
